"Now please take pity on us, and explain what has happened. We"re just dying by inches to know. What was that tug doing down here, with all those men? And unless I"m mistaken, I saw Mr. Dodd, the sheriff, aboard.
He was out hunting those two bad tramps who robbed the steamboat. Oh, boys! Do you mean to say you have had anything to do with them?"
Nellie had brought it to the point where explanations must be in order.
So the story was told in detail. Sometimes one of the campers related a certain part, and then another took it up from where he left off.
"And with what views Bluff took for me, I"ll have enough to ill.u.s.trate the whole performance. A few I"ve missed, and they will always haunt me.
Altogether it"s been a remarkable series of adventures," declared Will enthusiastically.
"The most astonishing that will ever come our way, I reckon," said Jerry with emphasis.
But though they did not dream of it at that time, there were still stranger things fated to befall the four chums ere many months had pa.s.sed. These happenings of vacation time will appear in the next volume of this series, to be ent.i.tled "The Outdoor Chums in the Forest; or, Laying the Ghost of Oak Ridge," which will tell of the weird experiences our friends met with while investigating the greatest mystery that ever troubled the neighborhood of Centerville.
The merry party had just about finished their dinner when Bluff once again began to take his comrades to task for not thinking to rout the wild man out of his hole in the tree while they had the help of the sheriff"s posse.
"It"s a chance we"ll never have again, and no doubt the poor old fellow would be better off if turned over to Mr. Smithers, at the asylum. Have any of you girls heard of a lunatic at large since winter?" he kept on, until both Frank and Jerry could stand it no longer.
"It"s a shame to keep you in the dark any longer, Bluff. To tell you the truth, we captured that wild man," said Frank as soon as he could control his face.
"Captured him? When? How? Where? You"ve been having a joke all to yourselves. It"s time you let me in, boys," he said positively.
Frank ripped open the newspaper package he had carried all the way from the lone cabin in the jungle. Then he held something up that first provoked exclamations of wonder and then shrieks of laughter from the girls. Bluff turned red in the face, but being good-natured, he finally joined in the mirth.
"So that"s what it was, eh? That big tramp dressed himself up in that monkey skin they stole from Dr. Aiken"s collection, over in the store-house, when they entered. Waddy knew about the story of the wild man said to be on this island, and meant to have Biffins play the part to frighten off any posse that might land. A clever idea, yes; and I guess he did have considerable fun with it," Bluff went on.
"Jerry knew, of course, for he was a prisoner, and saw the fellow dressing to carry out the part; but I gave him the wink, and he kept quiet," said Frank.
"But how did you know?" demanded Will.
"I just guessed it. Sort of put two and two together, you see. The footprints gave me a clue. Then I watched the fellow carefully when he was coming out of the tree, and going in later. I believed it was a man, and he seemed to know too much to be a lunatic; but I thought I"d have a little fun with you and Bluff."
"Into the tree, yes, but how do you explain that? We saw him go in that hole in the hollow stump, and he didn"t come out again, yet Biffins was in the cabin when my stinging smoke made them surrender. There"s something queer about that."
"You"re right there is, Bluff. I saw how the thing was done when I went inside the cabin, after they had been made prisoners. In the front room was a hole in the floor. I jumped in that, and found, just as I expected, that it was a nice little underground tunnel leading to that hollow tree. Years ago, the man who lived there must have constructed that as a means of escape from some imaginary danger. When Biffins entered that tree he simply kept along until he reached the cabin; but neither of them dared try to escape that way, because they saw me standing guard," remarked Frank calmly.
"Well! Talk about your mysteries, this one beats the band! But that fellow who died in the cabin did have a reason to be afraid, Frank. I understand he turned out to be a man who was wanted for a capital crime down in New York City. Perhaps he dreamed of the time when he should be tracked to his hiding-place, and meant to have a chance for escape,"
observed Jerry.
They pa.s.sed the hairy disguise around. Bluff even stood up to show how it had fitted the big man, at which Will uttered a cry of delight.
"Oh! now I know how I can get a picture of the wild man for our collection. Bluff, some day won"t you just put that thing on, and let me snap you off? It will be a real kindness, and I think you will be pleased with the result," he exclaimed.
At which poor Bluff glared at him, and subsided, while the girls went into new spasms of laughter.
Dinner was made as elaborate as possible, and in spite of what had happened the girls and the boys did full justice to all that was set before them. As they ate they talked the happenings over again. They all had fun with the disguise, and when one of the girls tried it on, everybody screamed with laughter.
"The wild girl from Peru," said Frank.
"The Wildcat Island belle," came from Jerry.
And then another shout of laughter arose.
Dinner over, the boys gallantly ferried the girls over to a dock at which the steamboat would stop on her round of the lake. Here they laughed and joked until the _Eastern Star_ came along, when the four girls started home.
Captain Amos leaned over the rail and heard the news with delight, saying:
"Glad to hear it, fellows. Knew those hoboes would regret it if ever they ran across the tracks of you four. So they"re in the lock-up by this time, and Mr. Pemberton"s packet of jewelry is recovered. Hurrah for the Rod, Gun and Camera Club!"
So the little steamboat sheered off, the paddles began to beat the water, and our boys waved their hats in farewell as the girls returned the salute with their dainty handkerchiefs. After which, Frank and his chums headed once more for Wildcat Island to finish their Easter outing, so strangely interrupted.
THE END